The present invention relates to cartons for use in storing and displaying a plurality of articles. More particularly, it relates to cartons providing multiple different storage and display orientations.
Containers, including paperboard cartons or boxes, have been used for many years to transport and store individually packaged articles. Typically, several individually packaged articles are packed within a single paperboard box that is provided with a removable lid or an integral folded top that is sealed. The packaged articles are generally transported within the closed or sealed box from the manufacturing facility to a place of retail sale. In order to present the packaged articles for retail sale, store personnel must first remove the lid or open the sealed top, remove each individually packaged article from the box, properly position each individually packaged article on available display shelves, and finally discard the box. Thus, transporting packaged articles from a manufacturing facility to a storage location and then to a display location using conventional paperboard cartons or boxes is a labor-intensive process, and may require uniquely configured display shelf constructions depending upon a shape and/or size of the packaged articles.
Alternatively, efforts have been made to provide cartons that are useful not only for shipping and storing contained articles, but also for displaying the articles at the place of retail sale. These designs typically entail the box or carton having a “convertible” feature whereby a portion of the box is removed (e.g., along perforation or tear lines) from a remainder thereof to thus partially “expose” or display articles contained within the converted box. The so-converted box/articles can then be placed on a shelf or other desired surface at the retail store. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,884 to Podosek describes a shipping and display carton having a series of tear lines in various panels thereof that allow a top panel, and portions of a front and opposing side panels, to be removed from a remainder of the box, thus displaying contained articles. Other references, such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,330 to Ellis; U.S. Pat. No. 3,669,251 to Phillips, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,289 to Miller; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,027 to Esser follow this same general approach.
While these and other carton designs are viable, certain drawbacks exist. In particular, conventional storage and display cartons (whether “convertible” design or different style) allow for only one useable display orientation on the retailer's shelf. For example, and with reference to prior art carton 10 of FIG. 1 (that otherwise is a copy of a figure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,884), where the carton 10 (initially provided in a shipping configuration whereby a completely enclosed box is defined) is used to display contained articles 11, the top panel 12 is entirely removed along with a portion of the front panel 13, resulting in a converted or display carton 10a. To display the articles 11, the carton 10a must be oriented (e.g., on a retailer's shelf) such that a front face 14 (referenced generally in FIG. 1) “faces” potential purchasers. This limitation results from the contained articles 11 being obscured at all other sides or faces 15 of the converted carton 10a other than at the partially “open” front 14 and the “open” top 16 (referenced generally in FIG. 1). Further, because the top 16 is completely “open”, the converted carton 10a cannot be laid on one of its sides 15 or back 17 (referenced generally) as the contained articles 11 would inherently and readily fall out of the converted carton 10a. 
These inherent display orientation constraints can be quite problematic in various retail environments. As a general statement, many articles sold to consumers are not square cubes, nor are they packaged in square-cubed packaging. Thus, the storage and display carton (for example, the converted carton 11a of FIG. 1) will have a rectangular shape, meaning that various sides thereof have differing widths (e.g., the front and back faces 14, 17 are wider than the opposing side faces 15). With conventional display carton 10a designs, the carton must be oriented such that the “wider” front face 14 (as compared to the “narrower” sides 15) of the carton “faces” potential purchasers, thus occupying valuable shelf space. For some retailers, shelving constraints and/or consumer display preferences may dictate a different, more desirable carton orientation whereby one of the smaller width sides 15 of the carton 10a “faces” the consumer (and thus the carton 10a occupies less shelf length). Unfortunately, because the carton sides 15 obscure the contained articles 11, this desired orientation is effectively unavailable. In addition, because contained articles 11 can only be removed via the “open” top 16 of the carton 10a, a fairly substantial space must exist between the carton top 16 and any shelf positioned above the carton 10a. This, in turn, limits the usable vertical shelf space available to the retailer.
Cartons exist by which retailers can store and display contained articles. However, conventional designs overtly limit an on-the-shelf orientation of the display carton. Thus, a need exists for an improved storage and display carton offering retailers greater flexibility in the manner in which the display carton can be situated on a shelf or other surface.